Intervention
by Nerd 105
Summary: It is ironic that a person who would never believe in fairy tales like Homura would would meet her 'knight in shining armor' in her time of need. That's more like Sayaka's thing. And realy, it's more like a 'reckless dunderhead with hero complex and the greenest eyes she ever seen'. "I'm not that bad, am i?"... (Sorry, i'm pants with summaries)
1. Chapter 1

Didn't own either of them. Done. :D

-A-A-A-A-A-

The prospect of being trapped inside her own Soul Gem had never occurred to Homura, mainly because she had always taken pain to ensure it was properly secured even when she had to use her time shield as, well, a shield. If she had to be truthful to herself, it was probably one of the most terrifying experiences she had ever gone through. Had she been coherent enough to ponder on the subject, she would have wonder how Sayaka had coped with the memory for so long before succumbing to despair. Then again, maybe the weight of the situation hadn't sunk in properly for the girl before the Incubator twisted the concept into something akin to invulnerability.

It was suffocating, being deprived of all senses and reduced to a mere conscious floating in an infinite void, only partially aware of the malevolent magic tainting the very air like poisonous smog. Unsurprisingly, the realization that she would be trapped in her own soul until either the Gem is crushed under the rubbles and debris raining down in Walpurgisnacht's wake or she finally succumb to despair and turn into a witch did not invoke much feelings. She had forced herself to come to terms with the horrible truth a long time ago. What mattered now is the colossal witch laying waste on its path. The gargantuan monster could never miss Madoka, whose untamed power flared like a blinding beacon of light even to the most novices of magical girl. She would be forced, no, Madoka would _willingly_ contract to save everyone. And Homura would be helpless here, in the prison of her own soul…

Futilely, she tried to suppress the dark thoughts, warding away the implication of the situation on her self-imposed mission. Yet memories of past timelines kept pounding on her mental shield like jackhammers on fragile glass. Mami's broken voice as the true nature of Magical girls sank the girl's mind in despair. Sayaka's tortured scream drowned in Oktavia's terrifying screech. Kyouko's serene smile before she shattered her own Soul Gem in a fiery explosion that encompassed the entire barrier. And Madoka… The trembling voice in which the pink-haired girl entrusted Homura with her future now hurt more than a thousand bullets on her soul. It's…just…so…hard…

 _Don't worry. I've got you. Just hang in there._

Feeling more the hearing the foreign voice, Homura was jolted from her thoughts when suddenly the wisps of tainted magic clinging to her soul were suddenly dispelled. She could feel something like magic, but not quite so surrounding her soul and cleansing the despair. She could almost imagine being in her former timid and shy self, feeling herself wrapped in an almost loving hug and having a gentle hand wiping away the tears on her cheek. Homura should have been disgusted with herself, with how easily she had let her guard down, had opened her soul to such foreign presence. But she couldn't help but grasp at the comforting magic. Warm. Ensuring. _Safe._

For an unknown amount of time, Homura could not help but lean on the presence like a child snugging to the warmth of blankets in a chilling winter night, so much so that she almost sighed in disappointment when it gradually recede and she could feel the magic in her soul latching on the familiarity of her own body. Fluttering her eyes open, Homura found herself staring at the most intense shade of green she had seen in her life. It was almost ironic that every remarkable person in her life possessed eye colors so reminiscent of precious stone. The person kneeling beside her had eyes so reminiscent of emerald, filled with so much kindness and concern not unlike Madoka's, just minus her childlike innocence.

"You're okay? For a second there I almost thought I was too late and your body had started to reject your soul." He breathed out in relief and sat down beside her, the glowing on his hand that she hadn't noticed faded away.

Doing a quick check on her current state, Homura was surprised to find that her body had been perfectly healed, minus the scratches and rips on her clothes. She could vaguely remember being crushed by one of the flying building, the impact strong enough to knock the Soul Gem out of her hand despite the protective layer of magic she always subconsciously encased it in. And yet the person in front of her had restored her body to an even better state than before her fight with Walpurgisnacht. More peculiar was the fact that he had no Soul Gem or anything similar to conduct the restoring magic. Even Mami, whose control over magic had reach the finesses to continuously form muskets out of ribbons in the heat of battles, had to use hers as a focus when treating others.

"Wh-who are you?" Homura instantly grimaced at the stutter in her voice.

The teen chuckled before bowing dramatically, "Potter Harry, at your service." The gesture was even more awkward since he was still kneeling.

"Poteru Harii?" The foreign name came out awkwardly feminine, much to his apparent chagrin.

"Yeah, I guess I should have taken up a different name before moving into Japan. Anyways, may I inquire your name, miss…"

"Akemi Homura."

 _Statistically speaking, your Soul Gem and body shouldn't even survive such ordeal, nevermind preserved long enough to reinstall the connection_. Homura stiffened at the voice in her head. It took all of her willpower not to pull out a gun and shoot the glimpse of white poking from beside Harry's head. _Your very presence has invalidated every single possible outcome computable, yet you possess no Soul Gem or any magical signature indicating a contract. So the question is: What are you?_

"Well…" The teen scratched his head, looking oddly sheepish. "Technically speaking, I'm not allowed to talk about it, since you don't have magic." Homura lifted an eyebrow at that statement. "Well you _do_ have magic, but not _our_ or any recognizable systems of magic, so I can't really tell you anything least I would have the IWC breathing down my neck. Let's just say I was born with it and leave it at that, at least until we can identify your magic in some _really_ obscure tome those Unspeakable bastards like to weave around to our face everytime we have to work together." That last past was a mumble Homura almost couldn't make out.

To find such an anomaly after so many timelines was almost bizarre for Homura. Inconsistencies were unavoidable, though they were for the most part insignificant. The changes in time and place of appearance of each witch had been a nuisance, though one easily managed around. But this Harry was different, if only for his foreign magic and the fact that she hadn't detected his presence at any point after her return point. After the Oriko incident, she had been keeping a lookout for new Magical girls entering Mitakihara and…neutralizing them should they become a threat. More often than not, if they didn't prove useful for her cause, they were either a threat or an obstacle. It was a line of thought she was not proud of, but a necessary devil. She had had too much "necessary evil" on her hand lately.

"You are looking like Draco."

"Huh?" The comment took her by surprise.

"A…friend of mine. Guy's constantly judging people to determine whether they are worthy associates or potential threats. You get used to spotting the posture after watching him conversing with up and coming Lords and Ladies during social parties."

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the two, though Harry didn't seem at all bothered by the revelation. Looking around, Homura found half the city in ruins, drowned in the ongoing downpour. Towering skyscrapers that the city had taken great pride in had been ripen off the ground with pitiful ease, the anti-disaster structure engineers had so painstakingly designed seeming like a joke before the sheer force of violent whirlwinds in the vicinity of the witch. And Walpurgisnacht herself was…dissipating?

 _Walpurgisnacht seems to have lost interest in the city now that the most prominent source of magic has disappeared_. Kyubey's words filled Homura with dread.

 _What do you mean 'the most prominent source of magic has disappeared'?_ She demanded.

 _Kaname Madoka had insisted on seeking you without contracting, which resulted in her being caught in one of Walpurgisnacht's attacks_. The creature closed its eyes with the closest resemblance to a sigh. _A regrettable lost. Her potential could have fulfilled this planet's quota for decades. Though all is not lost, it seems. Akemi Homura, you have the power to reverse the time flow and alter the course of event, which would possibly prevent her demise._

Homura narrowed her eyes at the Incubator. The thing would never utter such things out of apathy or remorse. _What would you get out of this?_

 _This situation could have been profitable had it not been for Kaname's untimely demise, though unfortunately it's also problematic to recreate. Statistically, her collective karmic potential would potentially reach unimaginable number, which when converted can wholly counter entropy, or at least postpone it for a very long time. The universe would thank you Akemi Homura, should this endeavor prove fruitful_.

"You!..."

Before Homura could pull out her gun and shoot the despicable monster, Kyubey was suddenly frozen and encased in a green cubic dome suspended in mid-air. Looking to her side, she saw Harry with his glowing hand outstretched a hard look on his eyes.

"Shut up. Your voice is worse than my Headmaster." Harry said, but something told Homura that it wasn't what had made Harry suddenly hostile toward the creature. Turning to Homura, he added. "Look. I don't really know anything about your situation, and frankly your previous conversation totally weirded me out, but just tell me if there's anything I can do to help."

"And what's it in for you?" She didn't really care that she was being ungrateful to the person who had just saved her life, or prolonged her life was a better term. He seemed genuine, but appearance can be deceiving, as she had learned the hard way multiple times. She just had to be sure that he held no hidden agenda. No Magical girl can survive as long as she had being naïve and trustful, especially with such a convenient offer. And why, if he was being truthful, did he decide to help her. He couldn't have deciphered much from the words exchanged between them, least deciding who the "good guy" is.

"Err…Should there be a reason to help someone?"

 _When you're in this mess? Yes._ Homura didn't voice out loud, but she continued staring at the teen.

"Well, my friends have always said I have a "saving people" thing. How do i… Urr. Hermione would chew my head for this." Homura was totally unprepared when Harry took her hard into his. "I, Harry Potter, hereby swear on my life and magic, to aid Homura Akemi in achieving her goal to the best of my power, so mote it be."

Immediately she could feel some sort of binding formed between them. It was intangible, yet solid at the same time, like an invisible thread connecting their soul? Magic? She wasn't certain, but it felt significant, not like empty words uttered on impulse.

"I'm just glad the Oath also picks up on the intention. That wording is so anticlimactic I can practically hear the twin laughing their asses off."

"What is this?" She asked, indicating the ring on her wrist.

"It's a Life Oath, the strongest promise a wizard can give. Violation means death." Harry shrugged, as if he hadn't just put his life on the line to help a total stranger. Still a little suspicious, but for the time being, she decided to trust him.

"Suppose I do trust you. How are you going to help me when I travel back?"

"Well…either you go to me and ask for help, which should work just fine knowing what a reckless bullhead I am, but it's probably going cost a bit of time 'cus I'm not exactly accessible through normal means, or…"

"Or?"

"Or we can go the fastest way, being me hitching your ride, though it would be a bit unpleasant."

"And how are you going to do that?" She hadn't tried storing _people_ in her shield, and she didn't really fancy experimenting right then and there.

"With this." Harry took out a necklace from under his hoodie, which was actually just a round gem on a silver chain, and wore it around her neck. "I'm going to…uh…transfer my soul into this stone and hitch your ride to the past, then connect with the other guy…uh me. You just have to wear wait it out until I arrive, which shouldn't be more than a minute or two."

The concept was bizarre and more than a little disturbing, but she digested. The fact that Harry could work with souls, at least with his soul, opened many questions and possibility though, but she reckoned they had to succeed the travel before anything else. Receiving her nod, Harry touched the stone with his eyes closed, and she could once again felt the presence of his magic. Suddenly Harry's body felt forward…and face-planted on her chest. Though having anticipated the soul transfer, Homura was still mortified by the position they were in.

 _Sorry, I didn't intend it, I swear._ She could practically feel the teen scratching his head in embarrassment in her head. Forcing down the blush herself, Homura turned the shield. The mechanic inside whirled in a familiar hum and she felt her own consciousness slipping away.

Another try.

-A-A-A-A-A-

Irrelevant A/N, feel free to skip it:

My friends always complain about me being too nit-picky about details everytime they give me an assignment or story to proof-read. Yes, I'm not exactly well-versed in psychology but I consider myself in possession of sufficient knowledge to make any emotions, thoughts and actions of a character as realistic and reasonable as possible without gimping the plot. If anyone thinks the characters are OOC (especially Homura; I still haven't been satisfied with her character in this chapter; don't think I ever will, tbh), just message me and I will try to justify it as. The same thing goes for details, as I tend to cramp ideas into little things that _might_ be a little hard to see. I once tried to structure a story with selective inconsistencies here and there to foreshadow the plot twist that the main character had been stuck in her dream the whole time. Felt pretty proud of myself, until my best bud laughed his ass off at my "terrible writing, full of plot holes". *sigh*

Don't expect update soon though, just for the fact that I have a _slight_ case of OCD with story details and tend to take more time smoothing out the chapter than actually writing it. Trust me, I know the pain of waiting for new chapters. Had a dozen stories on notice since 2009, still waiting _bzzzzzzzzzzz…._

Oh, and Engligh isn't my first language so please feel free to point out grammatical and spelling mistakes for me. Thanks :D


	2. Chapter 2

Finally came around to type this one down :P

For references:

 _Telepathic message_

'Thoughts/Phone calls'

"Conversations"

-A-A-A-A-A-

To the population of Britain's wizarding community, especially those who had grown up witnessing the unspeakable horror of the first Wizarding War, Voldemort's second uprising and the subsequent battles that led up to the great Battle of Hogwarts had been surprisingly…tame. For reasons unknown to the general public, even though the Dark Lord had seized complete control over the Ministry of Magic and neutralized the Auror force, the war itself had ended in the Death Eaters' defeat in less than three years with no major clashing of forces to speak of, except for what had transcend on Hogwarts's ground. Somehow, with only less than three hundred students and a handful of Hogwarts professors, the defense force had not only held its ground but actually defeated the overwhelming army of Death Eaters, dementors, giants, werewolves and many other magical creatures. The prospect would have been deemed ridiculous had it not been for the great loss accounted for that day.

What the community wasn't aware of, and ideally would never be, was the Vault hidden unassumingly behind one of many doors in the Ministry. The Vault was guarded by numerous wards that would have make Gringotts' protective enchantments look like child's play, for inside it were hundreds upon hundreds of memory vials, each telling its part in the unseen struggles that allowed the eventual victory of the Light. They were not just replicated memories of the unsung heroes, but actual extracted memories submitted by those who had fought silently under the shadow, for it had been collectively agreed upon that until the next Dark Lord's uprising, the horror transcended should remain in the dark, both for the benefit of the community and of those who had sacrificed for it.

In the dimly lit vault, two cloaked figures materialized out of thin air, previously concealed by an invisibility charm. One of them lifted the hood up, revealing a mop of messy black hair, a pair of green eyes glowing slightly in the dark, and most importantly, a lightning bolt shaped scar barely recognizable under the bang.

"Unspeakable," Harry addressed the individual in front of him.

"Harry James Potter." The Unspeakable answered in a distorted voice, likely altered by an enchantment under the cloak to ensure secrecy.

Pulling out a vial similar to those on the shelves, Harry handed it to the Unspeakable, who immediately disillusioned the label with a wave of the wand. For a public martyr, the vial containing sealed memories of the Man-Who-Won was abnormally condensed, almost like glowing quicksilver. Truly, 'ignorant is bliss', for none could foresee the wizarding world's reacting should half the deeds guarded inside this vial come to light.

'Much like Dumbledore's' The Unspeakable mused, putting the vial away in their cloak. With only a slight nob of acknowledgement, the two parted way and Harry closed the door behind his back before walking toward the hall's entrance. Pointing the wand at his forehead, Harry muttered:

"Obliviate."

-A-A-A-A-A-

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Man-Who-Won, bearer of Order of Merlin First class and many other fancy titles the man himself did not even bother to remember, was bored.

To be fair, he was still having a good time at the local arcade breaking records to records, a feat not so surprising considering his excellent hand-eye coordination and reflexes, attributed to his trainings in the Auror equivalent of Task force. But playing video games could only get you so far when you just breezed through them unchallenged.

Officially he had been sent to investigate abnormal spikes of magic detected around Japan, but the country's Auror Department had been quick to assure him that those readings were not unprecedented, and though of unknown origin, seemed not of importance. Cross-comparison had revealed records of such similar magic buildups in the past, often time concentrated in one seemingly random location and worrisomely always preceded natural disasters. When he brought up the findings with the Japanese's Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the man had promptly chalked it up to coincidental clusters of ley lines discharged as destructive forces of nature and spoke with confidence that they were fully capable of dealing with the problem. So to sum it up, his trip had been nothing more than a glorified vacation.

Except he still had suspicion about the fact that the only two occurrences recorded in details were the 4th Fleet Incident in 1935 and the Typhoon Cobra in 1944, both in the form of a gargantuan typhoon and both happened during World War 2. Contacting Hermione had proved his suspicion not unfounded, but she also advised him against acting on it outright, for the Japanese were prideful people, their magical counterpart doubly so, and would not react favorably to him meddling with 'their business'. So for the time being all he could do was waiting.

 _Mitakihara Hospital, room 325, protocol 17_

The sudden telepathic message startled Harry, making him miss the final target by a hair's breath, much to the disappointment of the crowd gathered. He was unconcerned though, for the instruction took priority at the moment. Members of the Elite Auror Force were first and foremost required to carve into their memories a set of protocols that were to be followed without objection, no matter how irrational and/or inexplicable they might sound. Several obscure procedures would then be carried out to ensure the protocols _stay_ , impervious to even the strongest memory wipe. This was to ensure that the individual or team would finish the mission even if they themselves did not even remember who they were or what they had been doing at the time.

Quickly making his way out of the arcade and into an out-of-the-way alley, Harry silently set up concealment charms that were to contain the magical flare into a small dome around the castor and absorb residue magic of beacon apparition afterward. The spell required only the faint magical signal of the shot-caller to act as coordinates. An invaluable spell for recon and assassination, but also severely restrictive due to the signal dissipating immediately after one teleportation.

Arriving at his destination, Harry was reasonably surprised to find not one member of Elite Auror commanders or any known informants in Japan, but a teenage girl in hospital gown staring at him in what he presumed was mixture of curiosity and wariness, an odd expression on such a young face.

 _Protocol 32B_

'Inconvenient memory assimilation,' the order registered in Harry's mind. ''Inconvenient' indeed,' he mused, examining the stone hanging around the girl's neck, the same 'resurrection stone' he had been wearing since his entrance to the force. 'Memory assimilation' was merely a fanciful coined to conceal the true nature of the process, for no non-living object could store memories for long period of time without a soul to sustain them, so in reality it required the castor to dislodge his very soul and bind it to a heavily enchanted artifact, which was unique to each individual in the force. No such case had been deemed necessary to issue this protocol, but that was just on official records, and Harry was almost certain he had had direct involvement in at least one, though he would never voice this out loud for obvious reasons.

"Excuse me, can I have that?" Harry pointed at the stone, which the girl handed to him without question.

Methodically setting up a disruption field in the room with the girl still watching him curiously, Harry idly wondered how she had been entrusted with the exact same artifact as his own despite her young age, though he decided that all questioning could wait until he finished. He could always alter her memory should she be a civilian involved merely through unfortunate circumstances. Not a train of thoughts he was proud of, but it had to be done.

Holding the stone to his forehead, Harry guided his magic to open his mind to the magical artifact, all the while making space for the extra information through Occlumency. The assimilation started a slight sensation in his mind, which unfortunately turned into a full-blown splitting headache.

-A-A-A-A-A-

Unfamiliar with the events before her eyes, Homura was wholly unprepared when Harry screwed his eyes shut in what appeared to be suppressed pain…and promptly face-planted on her chest. Again. Cheeks pinking from mortification, she quickly slipped out of the bed, leaving Harry in an odd position half-kneeling half-lying beside her. It was somewhat alarming to find her emotional barrier breached so easily around someone she had just met, especially one with unknown power. But there was just something about Harry that betray a wary soldier who had tasted all thing bitter the world had to offer and would willingly come back for a second serving, but at the same time a kind soul that would stop at nothing to help people in need. A paradoxical notion in and of itself, but while Homura had long abandon her faith in anything but unchangeable statistics, she _felt_ it, so strongly in her mind, an amber of hope, that he would be the key to protect Madoka, and to break her out of this never-ending labyrinth.

In a practiced fashion, she used magic to fix her eyes and heart condition, before taking stocks of her remaining armory. All of her heavy weaponry had been used up in the fight against Walpurgisnacht, but luckily she still had a few magazines' worth of ammo for her handguns and sub-machineguns. Not the best choices for hunting witches, but she would have to make do unless Harry can provide some help in this department.

Looking back at her new ally, Homura contemplated on how she could utilize his aid. From what she could see, Harry was at least proficient with healing magic, which unfortunately from her experience with magic indicated that he would be somewhat lacking in combat ability. Though he was able to navigate her Soul Gem and body in the middle of Walpurgisnacht's parade of destruction, so at least his survival skills was not wholly mediocre. That and the fact that he was able to lock Kyubey in some sort of isolation cube meant that he might be able to cover Madoka's protection afterschool, while would leave her a little breathing room for restocking and hunting.

"Uh…anyone got the number of the Knight Bus that hit me?"

"You're awake." Homura commented dryly.

If Harry was bothered by her change of demeanor from their previous encounter, he did not show it.

"So, first thing first. I need you to explain your situation as best as you can. Trivialities can be left out, but please refrain from holding off vital information. I need to know what exactly we are up against to formulate a plan."

And so she told him.

It was as if the dam had been broken.

She wasn't aware of her own voice, or how much time had gone by, just that by the end of her explanation, Harry was holding her trembling body, whispering 'It's alright. It's all going to be alright.' Again and again to her ears. Exhausted from the emotional strain, Homura felt her consciousness slipping away and Harry's hands gently laying her on the hospital bed. For the first time I what felt like forever, Homura allowed herself to believe in such frivolous words meant only for comforting.

Everything's going to be alright.

-A-A-A-A-A-

Silently, Harry took down the disruption field and walked out of the room under a concealment charm. It would not do be seen standing in Homura's room by a random nurse walking in to check on her. Absentmindedly walking down the hall, Harry mentally sorted out the information Homura had just provided. Some of the problems could be solved without much trouble, such as that Kyosuke boy's medical condition. Not that it would be a mere cake in the walk, for he would have to enlist the help some of his associates to warrant treatment in Yakushi Nyorai Magical Hospital in Japan for a random muggle. There's also the situation of Kyubey and Walpurgisnacht, which in theory should warrant an A level threat and immediate strategic meeting, except he had nothing to submit as solid evidence unless he could give the research team sample Grief Seeds, Soul Gems and testimony of at least five Magical Girls, the latter two of which would be next to impossible to obtain in time to mobilize the force against the colossal witch and later on the supposed extraterrestrial race Homura identified as Incubators. So for the time being, he would have to solve this on his own. Not exactly.

Pulling out his 'phone', Harry activated the right sequences of runes, much like how one dial numbers on a phone. Making a show of waiting for the other line to pick up, he channeled some of his magic to sustain the telecommunication.

'Harry? What have you gotten yourself into this time?' Came Hermione's half exaggerated, half amused response.

'Hello Hermione. Bridge me to Ron also, we have a 407'

-A-A-A-A-A-

I would have to come back to overhaul chapter 1 later, but I assure you that Harry's personality in this chapter will be my fanon, at least in this story.

Also, potential story spoiler concepts warning, read at your own risk.

\- Elite Auror Force and Harry's involvement: It's sort of like the US's Task Force, but his true involvement and contribution to the war were under an even more obscure military force, like the SEAL unit but a thousand times more secretive, so much so that not even the current Ministry or Queen were aware of. This unit will play an important part in the future in the battle against Walpurgisnacht and the Incubators, just don't expect them to be some kinds of Deus Ex Machina. They will also play a role in portraying the Britain Wizarding World as a competent community, maybe even the best in the world.

\- Vault of Memory: Officially a method to somewhat relieve the burden of traumatic memory on the force's members, actually a protocol to insure absolute secrecy for the unit, even when its members retired. After the war, their memories were extracted and false ones were implanted to fit the story fabricated and given to the public. So everything happening in the seven books was just implanted memories media manipulation by the organization. While Harry's personality would be roughly the same, he did not have the 'save everyone' mentality like in canon, which meant he would not shy from inflicting 'collateral damage' if it got the job done, but would generally refrain from doing so if there were alternatives.

\- Harry's purification power and Homura being so trusting toward a stranger: No, Harry did not have the power to purify a Soul Gem. What he used was a charm's equivalent of the Calming Draught to temporary alleviate Homura's despair, which also have the side effect of making the target more susceptible to suggestions, much like how psychoactive drugs were used in the military. This coupled with Homura's fragile state of mind gave Homura slight hallucination (…She could feel something like magic, but not quite so surrounding her soul and cleansing the despair. She could almost imagine being in her former timid and shy self, feeling herself wrapped in an almost loving hug and having a gentle hand wiping away the tears on her cheek…) and make her generally more trusting toward Harry. A little dark, isn't it?


End file.
